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Department of the Languages and Cultures of South East Asia

BA Indonesian and . . .

Programme Code: T341BA/Ind Duration: 3 / 4 years

Overview

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Ben Murtagh

Ben Murtagh

Convenor

2013 Entry Requirements

  • A Levels: AAB
  • A Level language preferred
  • IB: 36 (6/6/6)
  • BTEC: DDM
  • Access to HE: Minimum of 30 Level 3 Credits at Distinction
  • Scottish Highers: AAABB
  • Scottish Advanced Highers: AAB
  • Irish LC: 340 points from 5 Higher level subjects at grade C1 or above
  • Advanced Placement: 4 4 5 (Two semesters - UCAS Group A) plus US HSGD with GPA 3.0
  • Euro Bacc: 80%
  • French Bacc: 14/20
  • German Abitur: 2.0
  • Italy DES: 80/100
  • Austria Mat: 2.0
  • Polish Mat: 75%

Subjects Preferred: No

Interview Policy: Candidates with 'non-standard' qualifications are encouraged to apply, and will usually be invited for an interview

SOAS is the only university in the UK to offer a comprehensive range of courses in the language, literatures and cultures of Indonesia. Our students come from a range of educational backgrounds, and we also welcome mature students, many of whom may have worked or travelled in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore or Brunei. In addition to those studying for the full degree programme, each year we welcome European students on the Erasmus exchange programme who come to SOAS for one year of study.

As well as offering a range of language courses from beginners level to advanced, the department also offers courses on the literature and film of Indonesia which provide a penetrating view of life and thought in Indonesia. Students are further encouraged to learn to read texts in Malay from pre-modern Indonesia and Malaysia, in the language it used to be written, in the Arabic Script.  As well as specific courses on Indonesia, students will take some regional courses, in order to place Indonesia with the wider Southeast Asian context.

Students following the joint honours degree may choose to follow a three or four degree. The four year option includes the invaluable experience of a year's study in Indonesia.

Indonesian at SOAS can be combined with a range of disciplines, for example: Indonesian and History, Indonesian and Politics, Indonesian and Anthropology or Indonesian and Music. In co-operation with neighbouring Birkbeck College it is also possible to combine Indonesian with Management Studies. Students taking the degree combined with Chinese or Korean begin study of Indonesian in their third year, on return from the year abroad in China or Korea.

Email: southeastasia@soas.ac.uk

Combinations

May be combined with
  • Arabic  TTJ6 BA/IA
  • Chinese  TT13 BA/ICH
  • Development Studies   LT93 BA/IDVS
  • Economics    LTCH BA/IEC
  • French *
  • Geography **
  • History  VTC3 BA/IH
  • History of Art/Archaeology VT33 BA/HAAI
  • Korean
  • Law  MTDH BA/LWI
  • Linguistics    QTCH BA/ILG
  • Music    TWHH BA/MSI
  • Politics    LTFH BA/POLI
  • Social Anthropology    LTPH BA/SAI

Combinations are available as either a 3 year degree or, depending on the combination, a 4 year degree with a (compulsory) year abroad.


*    Taught at University College, London (UCL): apply to UCL only
**    Taught at King's College, London


Students wishing to combine this subject with Management Studies should contact the Head of Department or Undergraduate Tutor for information.  See Department Staff page for contact details.

Structure

The programme may be studied as a 3 or 4-year degree, and includes an optional year abroad in Indonesia.

Combined honours. Generally two units will be chosen each year in Indonesian, together with two units from the chosen discipline (e.g. history).  Students must take the courses which are core.  Core courses must be taken and passed in order to progress.  

Year 1 (3 or 4 Year Degree)
Core Courses
Other Subject

Students take 2 units in their other subject.

Year 2 (3 or 4 Year Degree)
Core Courses
Compulsory Course
Other Subject

Students take 2 units in their other subject.

Year 3 (3 Year Degree)
Compulsory Course
Choose 1 unit from the following list
Other Subject

Students take 2 units in their other subject.

Year 3 (4 Year Degree)

Year abroad in Indonesia. Please see the Teaching & Learning tab for more details.

Year 4 (4 Year Degree)
Compulsory Course
Choose 1 unit from the following list
Other Subject

Students take 2 units in their other subject.

Programme Specification

Teaching & Learning

Year abroad

One of the most exciting aspects of the combined degree in Indonesian at SOAS is the opportunity to spend a year studying at two of the best universities in Java. The year in Indonesia is an invaluable experience and presents students with the opportunity to really advance their language skills to another level. Currently our students study for one semester at Universitas Gadjah Mada (Yogyakarta) and one semester at Universitas Muhammadiyah (Malang). SOAS is a member of the Australian Consortium for 'In-Country' Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) and further information can be found on the ACICIS website: acicis.murdoch.edu.au.

Teaching & Learning

Language teaching is mostly in small tutorial groups; tapes and language laboratory facilities are available for formal teaching and self-study. Non-language units are taught by lecture and seminar.

Students are assessed by a combination of written examination (and oral for language units) and coursework, including essays and translations.

SOAS Library

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Pre Entry Reading

  • Jean Gelman Taylor. Indonesia: peoples and histories. New Haven : Yale University Press, 2003.
  • Barbara Hall and Cathy Draine Culture Shock! Indonesia: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette. London: Kuperard, 2000.
  • S O Robson Welcome to Indonesian, a beginner's survey of the language. Boston; Tuttle, 2004.
  • A Vickers A history of modern Indonesia. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Destinations

As a graduate who specialised in Indonesian, you will have gained competency in language skills and intercultural awareness and understanding. Familiarity with the region will have been developed through a study of language in combination with literature, development studies, economics, geography, history, history of art and archaeology, law, linguistics, music, politics, social anthropology or religion.

Graduates leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers, both in business and in the public sector. These include written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources. Choosing to study a joint degree programme will increase the breadth of your knowledge, and will develop additional skills with which to further your studies of the region, or to make comparative study with other areas. The study of Indonesian may be combined with a huge range of other disciplines. For more information on the extra skills you will gain from your second subject, please see the relevant  departmental page.

Former students in the Department of South East Asia have chosen a variety of professions following graduation, while many have gone on to study at Masters or research-level degrees. Career paths of former students from the South Asian department have included:

  • Commerce
  • Industry
  • Teaching
  • Media
  • Finance
  • Civil Service
  • Academia

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website.

How to apply

How to apply
Scholarships

For further information visit the Scholarships section

Undergraduate Research Awards

Application Deadline: 2013-04-26 00:00

A Student's Perspective

The South East Asia (SEA) Department therefore becomes an ideal place to explore this particular topic as the department provides interesting courses in Thai cinema conducted by internationally prominent lecturers.

Atit Pongpanit